Dual diagnosis: an intriguing and actual nosographic issue too long neglected

Background: The term "dual diagnosis" (DD) has been used in clinical practice for years. However, there is confusion about these medical cases, which consist in the presence of both a psychiatric disorder and a substance abuse disorder (in this case, alcohol). There are evidences that in the alcohol use disorder (AUD) population, 50.3% of patients had a psychiatric comorbidity during their lifetime. Nevertheless, to these days there are not any thorough guidelines for the management of these patients. A precise nosography would prevent delay in diagnosis and treatment and all the self-evident negative outcomes of those delays. Materials and methods: A literature search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, including studies published between 1980 and 2015. Search terms were: "guidelines", "treatment", "comorbidity", "substance abuse", "alcohol", "dual-diagnosis", "etiopathogenesis", "outpatient", "inpatient", "unit", "diagnosis". Out of 1045 titles, 43 studies were included in this article for their relevance on definition and nosography of DD. Results: Taking into account the state of art available in the literature, we contributed to clarify the definition of DD in the alcohol addiction field. Clinical data confirm high prevalence of DD, and allow to better describe and understand the complex relationship between alcohol dependence and other psychiatric diseases. Conclusions: We believe that a clear nosographic framework and a precise diagnostic process are essential for a timely management of every case, using specific guidelines to standardize and improve clinical practice. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), which introduces dimensional approach, could be a useful tool to improve diagnostic accuracy.

Evolución del estrés familiar en niños con trastorno por déficit de atención con hiperactividad / Evolution of stress in families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Introducción: El objetivo del estudio fue analizar la evolución del estrés en las familias de niños o adolescentes que comienzan tratamiento psicofarmacológico, tras ser diagnosticados de un trastorno por déficit de atención con hiperactividad (TDAH), y la capacidad de detección de este cambio mediante el cuestionario Family Strain Index (FSI). Metodología: Cuarenta y ocho especialistas en psiquiatría infanto-juvenil o neuropediatría incluyeron 429 familias de niños diagnosticados de TDAH, representadas por el padre, la madre o el tutor del niño. En la visita basal, a los 2 y 4 meses, se evaluó la intensidad de los síntomas del TDAH mediante la escala de Conners abreviada, y el estrés familiar mediante el cuestionario FSI. Resultados: Se observó: a) mejoría en la puntuación global del FSI y en todas sus dimensiones (p<0,001); b) mejoría en la intensidad de los síntomas de hiperactividad (Conners, p<0,0001);c) una buena concordancia entre las 2 escalas, a los 2 meses (R-intraclase 0,825, p<0,0001) y a los 4 meses de seguimiento (R-intraclase 0,784, p<0,0001). El 97,9% de los niños (420) recibieron tratamiento con metilfenidato de liberación modificada. Conclusiones: Se observó una correlación significativa entre la evolución positiva de los síntomas de los niños con TDAH y la reducción del estrés familiar evaluado mediante el cuestionario FSI, tras la instauración del tratamiento psicofarmacológico. Este estudio demostró una gran sensibilidad al cambio de la situación clínica de los pacientes con TDAH evaluado a través del estrés producido sobre sus familias. Se recomienda el uso de este cuestionario como medida indirecta de la repercusión del trastorno sobre el entorno del niño con TDAH en términos de estrés familiar (AU)

Introduction. The objective of this study was to assess the evolution of stress in families of children and adolescents who start psychopharmacological treatment after being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and the ability to detect this change using the FSI (Family Strain Index) questionnaire. Methodology: Forty eight (48) specialists in child-adolescent psychiatry or neuropediatrics included 429 families of children diagnosed with ADHD, represented by the father, mother or guardian of the child. In the baseline visit, and at two and four months, the intensity of the symptoms of ADHD was evaluated using the abbreviated Conners scale, and family stress was evaluated using the FSI questionnaire. Results: The following was observed: a) an improvement in the overall FSI score and in all its dimensions (P<.001); b) an improvement in the intensity of the symptoms of hyperactivity (Conners, P<.0001); c) good agreement between these two scales at two months (R-intraclass 0.825, P<.0001) and at four months of follow-up (R-intraclass 0.784, P<.0001). Ninety seven point nine percent (97.9%) of the children or adolescents (420) received treatment with modified-release methylphenidate. Conclusions: There was a significant relationship between the positive evolution of symptoms in children with ADHD and the reduction of family stress, as evaluated by the FSI questionnaire, after starting psychopharmacological treatment. This study showed a great sensitivity to change in the clinical situation of patients with ADHD, evaluated through the stress it produces on its families. It is recommended to use this questionnaire as an indirect measurement of the repercussions of the disorder on the environment of the child with ADHD in terms of family stress (AU)

Trastorno bipolar asociado al uso de sustancias adictivas (patología dual). Revisión sistemática de la evidencia científica y consenso entre profesionales expertos / Bipolar disorder associated to substance use disorders (dual diagnosis). Systematic review of the scientific evidence and expert consensus

El presente trabajo está focalizado en la llamada patología dual (PD): trastorno bipolar (TB) asociado a un trastorno por uso de sustancias (TUS). A pesar de que tanto los psiquiatras que tratan a pacientes con TB como los médicos que tratan a los pacientes con TUS encuentran frecuentemente esta asociación, lamentablemente las publicaciones que exploran la PD son escasas. El Grupo Español de Trabajo en Patología Dual en Trastorno Bipolar realizó una revisión del material publicado mediante una búsqueda bibliográfica en Medline y seleccionó los artículos relevantes publicados hasta el momento; a continuación se llevó a cabo un consenso de expertos y finalmente se realizó una encuesta a expertos en PD para responder a las áreas que no estaban suficientemente cubiertas por la evidencia científica o en las cuales no se llegó a un consenso dentro del grupo de trabajo. Se concluye que en las actuales circunstancias el establecimiento de un consenso constituye una herramienta muy útil para complementarla evidencia científica existente (AU)

The present work focuses on the so-called dual diagnosis (DD): bipolar disorder (BD) associated with substance use disorders (SUD). Although the psychiatrists who treat patients with BD and physicians in charge of patients with SUD frequently find this association with DD, unfortunately there are few scientific works that have studied this association. The Spanish Working Groupon Bipolar Disorders in Dual Diagnosis reviewed the published material using a Medline search and selected the most relevant articles. Following this, the Work Group developed an expert consensus in DD and finally, a survey was performed among a group of experts in this disorder to cover the areas that were not fully addressed by the scientific evidence or in those areas in which the Work Group was unable to reach a consensus. We conclude that, in view of the above, establishment of a consensus is a valid tool to complement the current scientific evidence (AU)

Do individuals with a severe mental illness experience greater alcohol and drug-related problems? A test of the supersensitivity hypothesis.

The supersensitivity hypothesis posits that individuals with a severe mental illness (i.e., schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; SMI) are more likely to be diagnosed with a substance abuse as opposed to a substance dependence diagnosis, and experience greater negative consequences associated with substance use at lower levels of consumption, as compared with non-SMI substance abusers. This is the first known study to test this hypothesis with a control group of non-SMI substance abusing individuals. Forty-two individuals with only a substance use disorder (SUD-only) and 53 dually diagnosed individuals (DD) were compared on measures of substance use, alcohol and drug dependence, negative consequences, substance use outcome expectancies, and motivation for change. A third group of SMI-only individuals (i.e., no SUD; n=35) were also recruited and all three groups were compared on psychological symptoms. Substance use, negative consequences, substance use outcome expectancies, motivation for change, and severity of alcohol and drug dependence were not found to differ significantly between the DD and SUD-only groups. However, the DD group had significantly greater levels of psychological symptoms, as compared with the SMI-only and SUD-only groups. Overall, this study does not provide support for the supersensitivity hypothesis.

Psychiatric symptom severity in cocaine-dependent outpatients: demographics, drug use characteristics and treatment outcome.

Psychiatric symptom severity and associated characteristics were assessed in 185 individuals seeking outpatient treatment for cocaine dependence. The sample was divided into groups of low, medium and high psychiatric symptom severity based on Addiction Severity Index psychiatric composite scores. Patients with high symptom severity reported poorer pre-treatment functioning and more adverse consequences of cocaine use than the lower severity groups. Relationships between psychiatric severity and treatment outcome variables were assessed in a subset of 123 patients who received one of three 24-week psychosocial treatments for cocaine abuse: (i) behavioral treatment with a voucher-based incentive program; (ii) the same behavioral treatment without vouchers; (iii) or drug abuse counseling. Psychiatric symptom severity failed to influence treatment outcome with any of these treatments. Thus, in this study the authors found no evidence to indicate that high psychiatric severity predicts poor response to psychosocial treatment for cocaine abuse.

Gender differences in DSM-IV alcohol use disorders and major depression as distributed in the general population: clinical implications.

This study examined gender differences within and between five groups of subjects drawn from a large representative sample of the United States population and classified as having either major depression (MDD) only, alcohol use disorder (AUD) only, or primary, secondary, or concurrent depression to determine if these diagnostic profiles (1) were consistent with those drawn on clinical samples and (2) might suggest potential clinical implications. Respondents (N = 9,985) from a nationally representative survey of the United States population met DSM-IV criteria for classification into these five mutually exclusive groups that were compared within and between groups by gender on the characteristics of each disorder. The results were consistent with those of other studies: (1) gender distributions of AUD and depressive disorder remain almost mirror opposites, and (2) comorbid disorders are more severe than either of the conditions appearing singly. Findings of particular interest were that the synergistic effects of an alcohol and a depressive condition operate equally for both men and women with concurrent depression. This points to the necessity of attending carefully to gender biases when dealing with comorbid conditions, last we fail to take alcoholism in the presence of depression seriously enough in women and vice versa in men. Additionally, women with primary depression are at high risk for suicide and thus may require special attention in the evaluative phase of treatment.